Those who do not work do not eat.
It has been a while since I’ve moved. I started working at the Medicinal Herb Research Institute without a hitch.
It felt uncomfortable to turn my hobby into a job, but after thinking things over, I think this was the best choice.
It seems that only a limited number of people knew that I was going to be working at the research institute. So the researchers at the institute only found out on my first day of work when the Director took me along to greet everyone.
“I have been assigned to work here. My name is Sei. I look forward to working with you.”
The Director urged me to give my greetings, but for some reason everyone is in shock.
I already knew most of the researchers here, but it seems that having me work here comes as a great surprise to them. It was so sudden that they were all surprised.
Because of that, they didn’t react to my greeting at first but after a while they begin to create a commotion.
Director: “Well then, the person who will be looking after Sei is… Jude, you do it.”
Jude: “Eh? Me?”
The Director had spoken in a loud voice to calm down the commotion.
I was surprised at suddenly being told that Jude would be the one looking after me. But I feel reassured knowing that Jude would be the one in charge of me, since he is the one I am closest to amongst the researchers.
It was very common in Japan to work with people you don’t know so I think I could manage even if someone I didn’t know was in charge of me, however it was still better to work under someone I knew.
Furthermore, it was even better that it’s someone I’m close with.
The Director probably thought of the same thing and put Jude in charge of me.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Jude: “Me too.”
I was surprised and greeted Jude again and Jude replied with a smile.
Jude taught me various things about the research institute; the main research topics, medicinal herbs that were called the same in the research institute, the names of medicinal herbs and potions.
The effects of the medicinal herbs were also the same as my original world. In between Jude’s explanation, I talk about what I had learnt in Japan and he said in surprise, “You know it well.”
In Japan, you can learn about medicinal herbs as a hobby, but here, there is a specialised course for learning about medicinal herbs at the Royal Academy.
Incidentally, the Royal Academy is a school where the children of aristocrats attend. They generally attend this school from 13 till 15 years old, which is when they come of age.
The specialised course was made for people to attend until they were 18. Jude had studied pharmaceutics in that specialised course and he also learnt about herbs.
You could also study natural science in my original world and as I thought, the research there was more advanced.
Jude’s specialised research was potions.
That’s right, potions. Potions.
It’s the type of thing that appears in RPG games.
Because you can drink it or apply it onto the affected area, I thought it would be similar to medicine in Japan. But it’s somewhat different, potions have an immediate effect, right?
How far can the effects go?
The cut that I carelessly made was instantly healed when I applied the potion on it.
That surprised me.
In order to know the effects of the potions, I grabbed a knife and cut my fingertip with it. Jude was surprised to see me do this.
I wanted to test it out no matter what so I only made a tiny cut on my finger, but it had bleed terribly.
After that, Jude was angry.
My first day ended with an explanation of the research institute’s equipment and the contents of my job.
The next day I was taught how to make potions.
Jude mainly researched potions and since I thought it would be more fun to touch things that didn’t exist in my original world, I wanted to research together.
Jude: “Well then, let’s get started.”
Jude looked experienced and started making the potion.
I’ve never made a potion before and since we will be working together from now on, so Jude had to show me how to make it.
Potions are made by putting medicinal herbs and water into a pot, then simmering it while pouring magic in.
Potions are divided into ranks such as: low grade, intermediate grade and advanced grade. The rank seems to be determined by the medicinal herb that are used.
However, high-ranking potions can’t be made just by putting in the prescribed medicinal herb.
A delicate control of magic was needed in order to make high-ranking potions, the possible rank of production depended on the skills of the creator.
The medicinal herbs that are used as ingredients are expensive but the number of people who can make such potions are scarce, so high-ranking potions are sold at a price that can’t be readily used.
In the first place, no one other than royalty and aristocrats can buy potions and it doesn’t seem to be stocked at apothecaries.
Well, let’s return to the story.
To make a potion, it is necessary to channel magic in while simmering.
Yup, magic.
Jude: “After putting in the ingredients, you simmer it while channelling magic power in.”
“Magic power?”
When I had first heard that, I thought about how I would go about channelling magic power. I must have misheard him.
Because there’s no magic in my original world.
“How do you channel it?”
Jude: “Eh?”
Jude was surprised when I asked that question.
There is magic in this world.
Magic power was necessary to use magic. There is something called life magic that everyone can use, so it seems that the people of this world are very familiar with magic power.
I think that this was becoming more and more like a game since I’ve heard the word potion and now magic. But no doubt this is reality
Jude: “Have you never used magic before, Sei?
“I have not.”
Jude: “Not even life magic?”
“Yes.”
Jude was really surprised that I have never used life magic before, since it was something that even common people used. But I can’t make potions if I can’t control my magic. After he had finished making the potion, Jude decided to lecture me on magic control.
Jude: “Now it’s finished.”
“Wow ~.”
After Jude had finished simmering the potion, he strained it before pouring it into a long thin vial. In the vial was a clear light red liquid.
The potion that Jude had made this time was the easiest low grade HP potion.
He had made it because the ingredients used were grown in the herb garden and were easily obtainable.
“It’s amazing that you can make something like this ~.”
Jude: “It’s a low grade HP potion, so it’s relatively easy to make.”
“But you can’t make it if you can’t control your magic, right?”
Jude: “Well, that’s true. But since it’s only a low grade potion it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Really? But, as I thought it’s amazing.”
Jude: “I-is that so?”
I was excited at seeing fantasy items in front of my eyes and kept saying that it was amazing. Jude was bashful.
Jude is slightly blushing, he’s a honeycomb hunk. [TN: Blushing while being bashful]
It was a sight for sore eyes.
After the potion was finished, Jude began his lecture on magic control.
Jude taught me in great detail, the same way he was taught at the Royal Academy.
Yes, he literally held my hand.
It seems that I start off by feeling the magic power in my body, but that is extremely difficult.
Why? Because I lived in a world with no magic.
If the people of this world only used life magic, it seems that there were no problems for them even if they weren’t aware of the magic power in their bodies.
Most of the life magic can be invoked by chanting.
However, to make potions or use magic other than life magic, it was important to be aware of the magic in your body.
Jude explained the various ways to feel magic power but since I couldn’t do it, Jude assisted me by using the Royal Academy method.
Jude: “Well, put your hands on top of mine.”
As explained earlier, Jude raised his hands until they were up to his chest and I put my palm on top of his.
Since he worked in the herb garden as part of his job, Jude’s hands were a little rough.
His hands are bigger than mine, it was definitely a man’s hand. I could feel Jude’s slightly higher temperature on my palm.
I was a little embarrassed because I had never held a man’s hand like this before.
No, no, you’ll lose if you start to notice it.
Work, work.
When I was trying to change my feelings like that, Jude calls out to me.
“Well then, let’s start.”
Jude sent magic power from his right palm, and then I feel something gradually flowing into mine.
It is similar to heat being transferred, it was a hard feeling to describe.
When Jude’s magic power enters my right hand, it moves inside my body as if it is sweeping something away.
It seems that this is my magic power.
It wasn’t as if the magic power was moving from my right hand and out from my left, instead it feels like it was flowing through my body like blood.
It seems that my body has stopped being that of an Earthling when I was summoned.
Because my body has now become able to feel magic power which was something that never existed on Earth.
“I feel something flowing through my body.”
Jude: “Oh? Already? That’s magic power.”
Jude was a bit surprised when I told him I felt it, but he still taught me while smiling.
It was a training method at the Royal Academy, but even so it generally took people about one week to feel the magic power in their bodies.
Jude said while laughing, “You’re talented”, since I was able to feel it quickly even though Jude had only sent a little bit of magic power to me.
The magic power still flowed through me even when Jude had stopped sending me magic power. The practice of magic control continues further from there, Jude is surprise that things were proceeding smoothly.
Jude: “Awesome, I didn’t think that the explanation would finish so soon.”
“I’m sure it’s because you’re good at teaching. Thank you.”
When I smiled sweetly and thanked him, he blushes and becomes bashful again.
Indeed, Jude’s teaching method was very easy to understand.
Jude, who had became happy, taught me various life magic afterwards.
He told me that it was inconvenient for me if I didn’t know how to use life magic.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
A little time has passed since I’ve been summoned and Jude has opened up to me.
To the point that he stopped using honorifics.
Since Jude had started working at the research institute first, I treated him as if he was a company sempai, but since we were close in age, Jude told me that he wanted me to stop being so formal.
After having been taught by Jude, I earnestly made low grade HP potion.
Everything was for the sake of levelling up my production skill so that I could make high ranking potions.
It was also simply fun to level up while making potions.
Back in the days, I liked playing games that had a speedrun [TN] component, so I really got into it.
Of course, I didn’t want to waste the low grade HP potions that I made, so it was decided that it would be used for research at the research institute.
The first unusual thing I noticed was the researcher who was researching potions, was not Jude.
“Sei.”
“Yes?”
When I look back at the voice that is a little far away, I see the researcher beckoning at me.
I approach him while wondering what it was about. He points at the low grade HP potion on the work desk.
“Is that a potion that Sei made?”
“Mhmmm… Yes. I made that.”
The potions made inside of the research institute were marked, so that people can tell who made it.
It was marked so that if something happened, investigations into the cause could be carried out.
The potion that the researcher pointed at was marked with a mark that indicates that I made it.
“Did you do anything different when you made it?”
“No. I didn’t do anything different. Is something the matter?”
“Well, the effects of the potions are changed when you make the potion.”
This researcher is developing new recipes for potions.
Right now he is trying to make a new potion with higher effects by using the raw ingredients of an already existing potion. It seems that during one of his experiments, he noticed that the effects of the potion made in the laboratory were different from the ones being sold.
While he was doing a detailed investigation, he noticed that amongst the potions made in the research institute there were some that had the same effects as the potions sold and some which had different effects. As a result, he discovered that only the potions made by me had a higher effect.
The researcher tilts his head and wondered if I really didn’t do anything different.
I made the potions with the same ingredients and procedure that Jude first taught me. I didn’t change the procedure nor the ingredients.
“This is really a low grade potion, right?”
“I think so. I made it exactly like Jude taught me.”
“I see. I guess I’ll go ask Jude.”
This time, the researcher calls Jude and asks him about what he taught me.
I was listening next to them, but the contents were exactly the same as I remembered.
“It’s the typical method for making low grade potions.”
“Yes. I don’t know any other methods for making potions.”
“For the time being, let’s appraise the potion that Sei made.”
“That might be too soon.”
In the end, because I didn’t know the cause, it was decided that the potion I made would be sent for appraisal.
Then the researcher went out somewhere and I got the appraisal result for the potion I made.
Don’t be surprised.
The potion I made was a simple one, but it was established that for some reason it was better than the potions circulating in the markets.
It seems that it’s 50% better than those potions.
“Still, it’s weirdly effective.”
Jude mutter while holding the potion I made with one hand.
The potions I made seems effective.
It seems that several vials of potion were submitted for appraisal, but all of them were more effective that the market goods.
“I’m making it just like you taught me.”
Jude: “The colour is definitely that of a low grade HP potion, but I wonder why?”
“Who knows, maybe because I’m skilled?”
Jude: “Let’s see, I don’t think it matters, but how high is your pharmacy skill now?”
“Wait a minute. 『Status』.”
When 『Status』is recited, a semi-transparent window, which could only be seen by the user, appears in front of me. My status is displayed there.
This was one of the life magic that Jude taught me.
This was also one of the reasons why I’m so engrossed in raising the level of my production skill.
I think that seeing the level of my skills in numerical value was also one of the components of speedrun games.
Seeing the skills represented by numerical value made me want to carelessly aim for counterstop. [TN: Japanese game term – max value]
| Nakanashi Sei Lv. 55/Saint
HP: 4,867/4,867 Combat Skill: Production Skill: |
“It’s currently level 8.”
After confirming my status, I told him the level of my pharmacy skill, Jude tilts his head while humming, “Hmm.”
Jude: “If you’re at level 8, you still can’t make intermediate grade potions yet.”
“Well, isn’t it fine? It’s not like the effects are low.”
Jude: “No, no, no. It’s not at a marginal level where we can let it slide. It’s our job to clarify things like this!”
I thought that it was fine as long as the effectiveness is high, but Jude was angry because studying such mysterious phenomenon and investigating the cause was also part of a researcher’s job.
There’s no choice, I’ll go along with Jude’s inquires.
“Even compared with other people, the type and amount of ingredients used are the same, the procedure is the same, and the only thing that’s different is the person who made it.”
Jude: “That’s right.”
“The only other thing I could think of is the amount of magic power that’s being channelled in but…”
Jude: “Do you channel in a large amount of magic power when you make potions?”
“I wonder? I don’t think that I use that much magic power though.”
Jude: “Yeah, I didn’t feel anything like that when I watched next to you…”
If you increase the amount of medicinal herbs, channel more magic power or alter the raw ingredients used in a potion, it will more or less increase the effectiveness of the potion made.
But it doesn’t increase by 50%, it would only increase by a few percent.
The procedure is so simple, even if you change it, it would only be to the extent of how much magic power I channel into the hot water at first and how much medicinal herbs are put in to simmer.
It seems that the currently established procedure is the most effective, and the effects didn’t rise any further.
I made various potion experiments together with Jude while saying “Not this”, “Not that either.”
“Is there a magic attribute that could influence potion making?”
Jude: “I haven’t thought about that.”
“Really?”
Jude: “There’s not much difference in effect between the potions made by those who possess magic skill and those who don’t.”
There are magic skills with various attributes amongst combat skills.
These magic skills don’t include life magic and generally speaking those who can have magic skills are those who can use magic.
I thought that those who have magic skills would possess an attribute that effected the potion but according to Jude, it didn’t seem relevant.
Jude: “Aren’t you putting something other than magic in, Sei?”
“What’s something?”
“Mm, I don’t really know.”
Jude said and laughs while taking a long hard look at my hands.
His expression showed that he was joking.
Since he’s opened up to me, the times Jude would joke like this during the middle of discussions has increased.
“What the heck is it?”
The discussion once again returns to the beginning.
“There’s no choice, we’ll have to find the case by trying various things. It’s also part of our job to unravel this, isn’t it?”
“Hahaa, yup.”
Thence, I make potions with Jude under various conditions.
Thus, my days pass by while making potions.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
It’s been 3 months since I’ve been summoned.
“『Status』.”
| Nakanashi Sei Lv. 55/Saint
HP: 4,867/4,867 Combat Skill: Production Skill: |
Just by doing nothing but making potions at the research institute, my pharmacy skill has risen to 21.
Since the rank of the potion made, increased for every 10 levels, I can now make advanced HP potions.
However, I still fail a lot……
Because numerous valuable medicinal herbs are used to make advanced potions, I can’t easily make many at this level since I fail a lot.
The number of high rank potions I’ve made since reaching level 20 are still only 3.
Nevertheless, since the number of people who can make advanced potions were few to begin with, it was quite a feat for a researcher like me to be able to make advanced potions.
It seems that up until now there hasn’t been a single person in this research institute that can make advanced potions. When advanced potions were needed for research, it was ordered from outside, so when I was able to make them, everyone was happy since the time and cost decreased.
It was necessary to make potions in order to raise the level of the pharmacy skill, however magic power generally runs out. Therefore there is a limit to how many potions can be made in a day. It seems that the levels cannot be easily raised.
Me?
“As always, you’ve made an unusual amount.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Because making no less than 10 intermediate potions per day is pretty strange.”
The intermediate HP potions were lined up in a row in front of my eyes.
The efficiency of these potions are of course, 50% more than normal.
According to the Director of the research institute, even if the potion was poorly made, it may still be more effective than general advanced HP potions.
Even now Jude and 2 others are inspecting my potions day and night, in order to find the cause of the strange efficiency.
As usual, they can’t understand the cause at all, Jude and I must have overlooked something, so other researchers have also recently joined the investigation.
The potion is inspected from various angles; there are those who inspect the production process, those who inspect the potion itself, etc. Meanwhile, I keep on earnestly making potions.
Throughout the day.
When was it? It was on the day that I made 150 vials of low grade HP potions.
Jude asked, “Can you still make it?”
My reply to that was, “Make what?”
Thereupon I finally learnt about the general amount of potions that a person can make in a day.
The magic power channelled into the potion increases as the rank get higher. It seems that the average number a person can make per day was a 100 vials of low grade potions or 10 vials of intermediate grade potions.
This case applies to pharmacists who specialise in making potions. It is even less for those who are working at the research institute.
MP certainly decreased when making potions but because it was insignificant, I didn’t care at all.
Therefore Jude said that I wasn’t channelling magic power in while I made potions, but my MP is steadily decreasing, and in the first place if you don’t channel any magic power in, you can only make juice from the infused medicinal herbs.
In the end the Director said, “Let’s prioritize the research on improving efficiency”, so I’m back to making potions every day, but it seems I got a bit carried away.
I made more potions than needed for research, so they became leftovers.
Although they can be sold at a good wholesale price, regrettably the performance was 1.5 times greater than normal, which would be a problem when sold. So now there was a superb amount of potions at the research institute.
“You’ve made a lot again. The Director’s going to scold you.”
“I forgot to count the number of potions I made because I was concentrating, you know?”
I lied.
I want to quickly be able to make advanced HP potions without complaints, so I was only levelling up.
Because the medicinal herbs I used were from the herb garden, recently there have been people complaining to the Director about the decrease in medicinal herbs at the herb garden.
Because getting scolded was unpleasant, I’m thinking about hiding the potions I made today in my room. I take the potions I made today out of the cabinet when the laboratory door opened with a slam.
When I turned around, I saw a solider with distraught breath. He shouts, “Where’s the Director?” as he darted into the laboratory.
When I point at the door leading to the director’s room, he heads there in a rush.
What on earth is happening?
After a while the soldier and Director come out from the director’s room.
Director: “It’s an emergency, collect all of the recovery potions now.”
“What happened?”
“The 3rd Knight Order has returned from Ghosh forest, but a Salamander appeared. Many were injured and it seems there aren’t enough potions.”
I understand the situation from asking a researcher near the Director.
This week the 3rd Knight Order subjugated demons in the Ghosh forest, located west of the capital. But they apparently suffered enormous damage there.
The easy-going Director, who was always pleasantly smiling, is giving instructions with a dreadful face. Instantly the researchers noisily started collecting potions from desk drawers and shelves and gathering it onto the desk near the entrance of the laboratory.
Together with Jude, I also take potions out of the cabinet and carry it to the desk.
The soldier is surprise at the amount of potions gathered on the desk and says, “This much!?”
Yes, because they were recently amassed.
After we finish taking out all the potions from the cabinet, I remembered I had placed some advanced HP potions in my room so I go to retrieve it.
When I return from my room, everyone had finished gathering the potions in the laboratory and were loading it onto the wagon parked outside of the door.
Director: “Some of you come with me.”
As instructed by the Director, the researchers near the entrance board the wagon.
The wagon begins moving when I got on it.
“Hey, does something like a dragon appear in the Ghost forest?”
Jude: “Dragon? No, they don’t.”
“Isn’t a Salamander a firedrake?”
Jude: “Hm? Salamanders are just lizards that breathes fire.”
I received an unexpected reply when I asked Jude, who came with, about the Salamander.
Salamanders weren’t dragons……
Although I had imaged it to be a firedrake……
“It’s able to cause this much damage despite only being a lizard……”
Jude: “Even though it’s a lizard, it’s big and agile. Nonetheless, it’s not of the dragon species, it’s a high ranking demon.”
“I see.”
The Salamander’s image in my head has now become a 10 metre long Komodo dragon.
It breathes fire while moving at high speeds. The moment it confronts me, I’m confident that I won’t be able to move and give up on life.
While I was thinking about how hard it must have been for the Knight Order to face such a high ranking demon, the wagon stops at a corner of the royal palace.
As soon as I enter the building, the inside is like a battlefield.
“This is terrible……”
“……”
Many injured people were sleeping in the room that was normally used as a hall, and people who looked like doctors and nurses are running around in the spaces between them.
In the room, the groans of the wounded and burnt victims of the Salamander’s fire, overflow, and the voices of the doctors screaming, “Are the potions here yet?” resound throughout the room.
My carefree mind from a while ago, chills. I stand frozen on the spot, dumbfounded. The Director, who stood up first, clapped his hands.
Director: “Distribute the potions that we brought! You two are over there, Jude and Sei, please take care of the other side.”
““““Yes!””””
I take several of the potions and distribute it to the doctors here and there.
The doctors are mostly standing near those who are seriously injured and give the potion to the patients as soon as they are received.
Due to the shortage of HP potions, low grade HP potions were also given to the severely injured, even though they would normally require an intermediate potion for complete recovery.
The doctors probably feel that it was better to give them something instead of giving up.
Especially for patients who were on the border of life and death.
Because by giving them the potion, they might survive.
“This is!”
The doctor who gave a patient the potion, which was handed to him by the researcher, was surprised.
After giving the potion to the patient who was breathing heavily, his skin which had been greatly torn by the demon’s claw, was completely healed. The patient, who had his eyes closed, opens them when he feels the pain suddenly disappear. He timidly confirms his body.
All his wounds had disappeared, even the small scratches that he had everywhere and his pale complexion is also improving.
“It was a low grade potion, right?”
The doctor, with the dubiousness look on his face, holds up the empty vial in his hand but since he’d given everything to the patient, it was difficult to determine the rank of the potion.
The doctor was surely given a low grade HP potion, but it wasn’t just any low grade HP potion.
It was the 50% increase potion that I made, in other words the effectiveness of it was the same as an intermediate potion.
I leave before the doctor could ask me anything and distributed the point one after another.
I can hear the bewildered voices of doctors and nurses from here and there, but I ignore it.
For now distributing potions had priority.
“Are there any advanced HP potions?”
I hear someone’s voice at the back of the hall.
There are many doctors and knights gathering at the place where the voice came from.
Is that where the voice came from?
Because I have an intermediate HP potion on hand, I head over there and as I approach, I could hear people discussing something.
“This could be difficult even with an advanced potion. Is there anyone who could use recovery magic?”
“Even if they could use recovery magic, if it’s not level 4 or over…”
“What about Saint-sama? That person can use level 4 recovery magic, right?”
“His Highness, Kyle did not want to show such a brutal scene like this to Saint-sama……”
“What!”
Kyle is certainly the first Prince’s name, that red-head that looked like he’ll go bald in the future.
It is certainly difficult to see seriously wounded parts of patients without censorship.
Even I, who prides herself in having some tolerance towards splatter, give out potions while looking as little as possible.
That easy-going Aira-chan will faint the moment she sees something like this.
The knight who is listening to the civil official-like person’s explanation, is he the patient’s friend?
Since I couldn’t see the patient due to the crowd of people, I couldn’t judge his condition. But it seems that the injury was so serious that it was difficult to heal even with an advanced HP potion.
When I look around the crowd, I see the Director and walk over to him. He calls out to me when he notices me approaching.
Director: “Sei! Are there any advanced HP potions left?”
“Ah, then, 「Captain!」.”
When I turn towards the voice, the doctors and nurses quickly begin to move.
The patient’s condition seems to have taken a sudden turn for the worse.
I also push my way through the crowd of people and go to the patient’s side.
Looking closely the right upper half of the patient’s body was burnt and he had various wounds all over his body. It’s a miracle that he’s alive.
His rough breathing gradually becomes quiet.
“Hey, move aside!”
I push the doctor away and look at the patient, it looks like he’ll die soon.
I take out the advanced HP potion from my apron pocket in a hurry, open the lid and bring it to his mouth.
When I say, “Please drink!” in a loud voice, he was somehow able to drink the potion, little by little.
The surrounding people swallow their saliva as they attentively watch him slowly drink the potion.
After a period of time passes I look at the patient, who had finished drinking all the potion. His charred skin had peeled and beautiful skin appears from underneath it.
His rough breathing settles down but it didn’t stop, it is the calm breathing of a sleeping person.
When I ascertain it with my own eyes, I breathe out at a job well done. The surrounding people shout out in joy, “Oooouuuuuuuuuuuu!”
Those who do not work do not eat.
It has been a while since I’ve moved. I started working at the Medicinal Herb Research Institute without a hitch.
It felt uncomfortable to turn my hobby into a job, but after thinking things over, I think this was the best choice.
It seems that only a limited number of people knew that I was going to be working at the research institute. So the researchers at the institute only found out on my first day of work when the Director took me along to greet everyone.
“I have been assigned to work here. My name is Sei. I look forward to working with you.”
The Director urged me to give my greetings, but for some reason everyone is in shock.
I already knew most of the researchers here, but it seems that having me work here comes as a great surprise to them. It was so sudden that they were all surprised.
Because of that, they didn’t react to my greeting at first but after a while they begin to create a commotion.
Director: “Well then, the person who will be looking after Sei is… Jude, you do it.”
Jude: “Eh? Me?”
The Director had spoken in a loud voice to calm down the commotion.
I was surprised at suddenly being told that Jude would be the one looking after me. But I feel reassured knowing that Jude would be the one in charge of me, since he is the one I am closest to amongst the researchers.
It was very common in Japan to work with people you don’t know so I think I could manage even if someone I didn’t know was in charge of me, however it was still better to work under someone I knew.
Furthermore, it was even better that it’s someone I’m close with.
The Director probably thought of the same thing and put Jude in charge of me.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Jude: “Me too.”
I was surprised and greeted Jude again and Jude replied with a smile.
Jude taught me various things about the research institute; the main research topics, medicinal herbs that were called the same in the research institute, the names of medicinal herbs and potions.
The effects of the medicinal herbs were also the same as my original world. In between Jude’s explanation, I talk about what I had learnt in Japan and he said in surprise, “You know it well.”
In Japan, you can learn about medicinal herbs as a hobby, but here, there is a specialised course for learning about medicinal herbs at the Royal Academy.
Incidentally, the Royal Academy is a school where the children of aristocrats attend. They generally attend this school from 13 till 15 years old, which is when they come of age.
The specialised course was made for people to attend until they were 18. Jude had studied pharmaceutics in that specialised course and he also learnt about herbs.
You could also study natural science in my original world and as I thought, the research there was more advanced.
Jude’s specialised research was potions.
That’s right, potions. Potions.
It’s the type of thing that appears in RPG games.
Because you can drink it or apply it onto the affected area, I thought it would be similar to medicine in Japan. But it’s somewhat different, potions have an immediate effect, right?
How far can the effects go?
The cut that I carelessly made was instantly healed when I applied the potion on it.
That surprised me.
In order to know the effects of the potions, I grabbed a knife and cut my fingertip with it. Jude was surprised to see me do this.
I wanted to test it out no matter what so I only made a tiny cut on my finger, but it had bleed terribly.
After that, Jude was angry.
My first day ended with an explanation of the research institute’s equipment and the contents of my job.
The next day I was taught how to make potions.
Jude mainly researched potions and since I thought it would be more fun to touch things that didn’t exist in my original world, I wanted to research together.
Jude: “Well then, let’s get started.”
Jude looked experienced and started making the potion.
I’ve never made a potion before and since we will be working together from now on, so Jude had to show me how to make it.
Potions are made by putting medicinal herbs and water into a pot, then simmering it while pouring magic in.
Potions are divided into ranks such as: low grade, intermediate grade and advanced grade. The rank seems to be determined by the medicinal herb that are used.
However, high-ranking potions can’t be made just by putting in the prescribed medicinal herb.
A delicate control of magic was needed in order to make high-ranking potions, the possible rank of production depended on the skills of the creator.
The medicinal herbs that are used as ingredients are expensive but the number of people who can make such potions are scarce, so high-ranking potions are sold at a price that can’t be readily used.
In the first place, no one other than royalty and aristocrats can buy potions and it doesn’t seem to be stocked at apothecaries.
Well, let’s return to the story.
To make a potion, it is necessary to channel magic in while simmering.
Yup, magic.
Jude: “After putting in the ingredients, you simmer it while channelling magic power in.”
“Magic power?”
When I had first heard that, I thought about how I would go about channelling magic power. I must have misheard him.
Because there’s no magic in my original world.
“How do you channel it?”
Jude: “Eh?”
Jude was surprised when I asked that question.
There is magic in this world.
Magic power was necessary to use magic. There is something called life magic that everyone can use, so it seems that the people of this world are very familiar with magic power.
I think that this was becoming more and more like a game since I’ve heard the word potion and now magic. But no doubt this is reality
Jude: “Have you never used magic before, Sei?
“I have not.”
Jude: “Not even life magic?”
“Yes.”
Jude was really surprised that I have never used life magic before, since it was something that even common people used. But I can’t make potions if I can’t control my magic. After he had finished making the potion, Jude decided to lecture me on magic control.
Jude: “Now it’s finished.”
“Wow ~.”
After Jude had finished simmering the potion, he strained it before pouring it into a long thin vial. In the vial was a clear light red liquid.
The potion that Jude had made this time was the easiest low grade HP potion.
He had made it because the ingredients used were grown in the herb garden and were easily obtainable.
“It’s amazing that you can make something like this ~.”
Jude: “It’s a low grade HP potion, so it’s relatively easy to make.”
“But you can’t make it if you can’t control your magic, right?”
Jude: “Well, that’s true. But since it’s only a low grade potion it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“Really? But, as I thought it’s amazing.”
Jude: “I-is that so?”
I was excited at seeing fantasy items in front of my eyes and kept saying that it was amazing. Jude was bashful.
Jude is slightly blushing, he’s a honeycomb hunk. [TN: Blushing while being bashful]
It was a sight for sore eyes.
After the potion was finished, Jude began his lecture on magic control.
Jude taught me in great detail, the same way he was taught at the Royal Academy.
Yes, he literally held my hand.
It seems that I start off by feeling the magic power in my body, but that is extremely difficult.
Why? Because I lived in a world with no magic.
If the people of this world only used life magic, it seems that there were no problems for them even if they weren’t aware of the magic power in their bodies.
Most of the life magic can be invoked by chanting.
However, to make potions or use magic other than life magic, it was important to be aware of the magic in your body.
Jude explained the various ways to feel magic power but since I couldn’t do it, Jude assisted me by using the Royal Academy method.
Jude: “Well, put your hands on top of mine.”
As explained earlier, Jude raised his hands until they were up to his chest and I put my palm on top of his.
Since he worked in the herb garden as part of his job, Jude’s hands were a little rough.
His hands are bigger than mine, it was definitely a man’s hand. I could feel Jude’s slightly higher temperature on my palm.
I was a little embarrassed because I had never held a man’s hand like this before.
No, no, you’ll lose if you start to notice it.
Work, work.
When I was trying to change my feelings like that, Jude calls out to me.
“Well then, let’s start.”
Jude sent magic power from his right palm, and then I feel something gradually flowing into mine.
It is similar to heat being transferred, it was a hard feeling to describe.
When Jude’s magic power enters my right hand, it moves inside my body as if it is sweeping something away.
It seems that this is my magic power.
It wasn’t as if the magic power was moving from my right hand and out from my left, instead it feels like it was flowing through my body like blood.
It seems that my body has stopped being that of an Earthling when I was summoned.
Because my body has now become able to feel magic power which was something that never existed on Earth.
“I feel something flowing through my body.”
Jude: “Oh? Already? That’s magic power.”
Jude was a bit surprised when I told him I felt it, but he still taught me while smiling.
It was a training method at the Royal Academy, but even so it generally took people about one week to feel the magic power in their bodies.
Jude said while laughing, “You’re talented”, since I was able to feel it quickly even though Jude had only sent a little bit of magic power to me.
The magic power still flowed through me even when Jude had stopped sending me magic power. The practice of magic control continues further from there, Jude is surprise that things were proceeding smoothly.
Jude: “Awesome, I didn’t think that the explanation would finish so soon.”
“I’m sure it’s because you’re good at teaching. Thank you.”
When I smiled sweetly and thanked him, he blushes and becomes bashful again.
Indeed, Jude’s teaching method was very easy to understand.
Jude, who had became happy, taught me various life magic afterwards.
He told me that it was inconvenient for me if I didn’t know how to use life magic.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
A little time has passed since I’ve been summoned and Jude has opened up to me.
To the point that he stopped using honorifics.
Since Jude had started working at the research institute first, I treated him as if he was a company sempai, but since we were close in age, Jude told me that he wanted me to stop being so formal.
After having been taught by Jude, I earnestly made low grade HP potion.
Everything was for the sake of levelling up my production skill so that I could make high ranking potions.
It was also simply fun to level up while making potions.
Back in the days, I liked playing games that had a speedrun [TN] component, so I really got into it.
Of course, I didn’t want to waste the low grade HP potions that I made, so it was decided that it would be used for research at the research institute.
The first unusual thing I noticed was the researcher who was researching potions, was not Jude.
“Sei.”
“Yes?”
When I look back at the voice that is a little far away, I see the researcher beckoning at me.
I approach him while wondering what it was about. He points at the low grade HP potion on the work desk.
“Is that a potion that Sei made?”
“Mhmmm… Yes. I made that.”
The potions made inside of the research institute were marked, so that people can tell who made it.
It was marked so that if something happened, investigations into the cause could be carried out.
The potion that the researcher pointed at was marked with a mark that indicates that I made it.
“Did you do anything different when you made it?”
“No. I didn’t do anything different. Is something the matter?”
“Well, the effects of the potions are changed when you make the potion.”
This researcher is developing new recipes for potions.
Right now he is trying to make a new potion with higher effects by using the raw ingredients of an already existing potion. It seems that during one of his experiments, he noticed that the effects of the potion made in the laboratory were different from the ones being sold.
While he was doing a detailed investigation, he noticed that amongst the potions made in the research institute there were some that had the same effects as the potions sold and some which had different effects. As a result, he discovered that only the potions made by me had a higher effect.
The researcher tilts his head and wondered if I really didn’t do anything different.
I made the potions with the same ingredients and procedure that Jude first taught me. I didn’t change the procedure nor the ingredients.
“This is really a low grade potion, right?”
“I think so. I made it exactly like Jude taught me.”
“I see. I guess I’ll go ask Jude.”
This time, the researcher calls Jude and asks him about what he taught me.
I was listening next to them, but the contents were exactly the same as I remembered.
“It’s the typical method for making low grade potions.”
“Yes. I don’t know any other methods for making potions.”
“For the time being, let’s appraise the potion that Sei made.”
“That might be too soon.”
In the end, because I didn’t know the cause, it was decided that the potion I made would be sent for appraisal.
Then the researcher went out somewhere and I got the appraisal result for the potion I made.
Don’t be surprised.
The potion I made was a simple one, but it was established that for some reason it was better than the potions circulating in the markets.
It seems that it’s 50% better than those potions.
“Still, it’s weirdly effective.”
Jude mutter while holding the potion I made with one hand.
The potions I made seems effective.
It seems that several vials of potion were submitted for appraisal, but all of them were more effective that the market goods.
“I’m making it just like you taught me.”
Jude: “The colour is definitely that of a low grade HP potion, but I wonder why?”
“Who knows, maybe because I’m skilled?”
Jude: “Let’s see, I don’t think it matters, but how high is your pharmacy skill now?”
“Wait a minute. 『Status』.”
When 『Status』is recited, a semi-transparent window, which could only be seen by the user, appears in front of me. My status is displayed there.
This was one of the life magic that Jude taught me.
This was also one of the reasons why I’m so engrossed in raising the level of my production skill.
I think that seeing the level of my skills in numerical value was also one of the components of speedrun games.
Seeing the skills represented by numerical value made me want to carelessly aim for counterstop. [TN: Japanese game term – max value]
| Nakanashi Sei Lv. 55/Saint
HP: 4,867/4,867 Combat Skill: Production Skill: |
“It’s currently level 8.”
After confirming my status, I told him the level of my pharmacy skill, Jude tilts his head while humming, “Hmm.”
Jude: “If you’re at level 8, you still can’t make intermediate grade potions yet.”
“Well, isn’t it fine? It’s not like the effects are low.”
Jude: “No, no, no. It’s not at a marginal level where we can let it slide. It’s our job to clarify things like this!”
I thought that it was fine as long as the effectiveness is high, but Jude was angry because studying such mysterious phenomenon and investigating the cause was also part of a researcher’s job.
There’s no choice, I’ll go along with Jude’s inquires.
“Even compared with other people, the type and amount of ingredients used are the same, the procedure is the same, and the only thing that’s different is the person who made it.”
Jude: “That’s right.”
“The only other thing I could think of is the amount of magic power that’s being channelled in but…”
Jude: “Do you channel in a large amount of magic power when you make potions?”
“I wonder? I don’t think that I use that much magic power though.”
Jude: “Yeah, I didn’t feel anything like that when I watched next to you…”
If you increase the amount of medicinal herbs, channel more magic power or alter the raw ingredients used in a potion, it will more or less increase the effectiveness of the potion made.
But it doesn’t increase by 50%, it would only increase by a few percent.
The procedure is so simple, even if you change it, it would only be to the extent of how much magic power I channel into the hot water at first and how much medicinal herbs are put in to simmer.
It seems that the currently established procedure is the most effective, and the effects didn’t rise any further.
I made various potion experiments together with Jude while saying “Not this”, “Not that either.”
“Is there a magic attribute that could influence potion making?”
Jude: “I haven’t thought about that.”
“Really?”
Jude: “There’s not much difference in effect between the potions made by those who possess magic skill and those who don’t.”
There are magic skills with various attributes amongst combat skills.
These magic skills don’t include life magic and generally speaking those who can have magic skills are those who can use magic.
I thought that those who have magic skills would possess an attribute that effected the potion but according to Jude, it didn’t seem relevant.
Jude: “Aren’t you putting something other than magic in, Sei?”
“What’s something?”
“Mm, I don’t really know.”
Jude said and laughs while taking a long hard look at my hands.
His expression showed that he was joking.
Since he’s opened up to me, the times Jude would joke like this during the middle of discussions has increased.
“What the heck is it?”
The discussion once again returns to the beginning.
“There’s no choice, we’ll have to find the case by trying various things. It’s also part of our job to unravel this, isn’t it?”
“Hahaa, yup.”
Thence, I make potions with Jude under various conditions.
Thus, my days pass by while making potions.
◊♦◊♦◊♦◊
It’s been 3 months since I’ve been summoned.
“『Status』.”
| Nakanashi Sei Lv. 55/Saint
HP: 4,867/4,867 Combat Skill: Production Skill: |
Just by doing nothing but making potions at the research institute, my pharmacy skill has risen to 21.
Since the rank of the potion made, increased for every 10 levels, I can now make advanced HP potions.
However, I still fail a lot……
Because numerous valuable medicinal herbs are used to make advanced potions, I can’t easily make many at this level since I fail a lot.
The number of high rank potions I’ve made since reaching level 20 are still only 3.
Nevertheless, since the number of people who can make advanced potions were few to begin with, it was quite a feat for a researcher like me to be able to make advanced potions.
It seems that up until now there hasn’t been a single person in this research institute that can make advanced potions. When advanced potions were needed for research, it was ordered from outside, so when I was able to make them, everyone was happy since the time and cost decreased.
It was necessary to make potions in order to raise the level of the pharmacy skill, however magic power generally runs out. Therefore there is a limit to how many potions can be made in a day. It seems that the levels cannot be easily raised.
Me?
“As always, you’ve made an unusual amount.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Because making no less than 10 intermediate potions per day is pretty strange.”
The intermediate HP potions were lined up in a row in front of my eyes.
The efficiency of these potions are of course, 50% more than normal.
According to the Director of the research institute, even if the potion was poorly made, it may still be more effective than general advanced HP potions.
Even now Jude and 2 others are inspecting my potions day and night, in order to find the cause of the strange efficiency.
As usual, they can’t understand the cause at all, Jude and I must have overlooked something, so other researchers have also recently joined the investigation.
The potion is inspected from various angles; there are those who inspect the production process, those who inspect the potion itself, etc. Meanwhile, I keep on earnestly making potions.
Throughout the day.
When was it? It was on the day that I made 150 vials of low grade HP potions.
Jude asked, “Can you still make it?”
My reply to that was, “Make what?”
Thereupon I finally learnt about the general amount of potions that a person can make in a day.
The magic power channelled into the potion increases as the rank get higher. It seems that the average number a person can make per day was a 100 vials of low grade potions or 10 vials of intermediate grade potions.
This case applies to pharmacists who specialise in making potions. It is even less for those who are working at the research institute.
MP certainly decreased when making potions but because it was insignificant, I didn’t care at all.
Therefore Jude said that I wasn’t channelling magic power in while I made potions, but my MP is steadily decreasing, and in the first place if you don’t channel any magic power in, you can only make juice from the infused medicinal herbs.
In the end the Director said, “Let’s prioritize the research on improving efficiency”, so I’m back to making potions every day, but it seems I got a bit carried away.
I made more potions than needed for research, so they became leftovers.
Although they can be sold at a good wholesale price, regrettably the performance was 1.5 times greater than normal, which would be a problem when sold. So now there was a superb amount of potions at the research institute.
“You’ve made a lot again. The Director’s going to scold you.”
“I forgot to count the number of potions I made because I was concentrating, you know?”
I lied.
I want to quickly be able to make advanced HP potions without complaints, so I was only levelling up.
Because the medicinal herbs I used were from the herb garden, recently there have been people complaining to the Director about the decrease in medicinal herbs at the herb garden.
Because getting scolded was unpleasant, I’m thinking about hiding the potions I made today in my room. I take the potions I made today out of the cabinet when the laboratory door opened with a slam.
When I turned around, I saw a solider with distraught breath. He shouts, “Where’s the Director?” as he darted into the laboratory.
When I point at the door leading to the director’s room, he heads there in a rush.
What on earth is happening?
After a while the soldier and Director come out from the director’s room.
Director: “It’s an emergency, collect all of the recovery potions now.”
“What happened?”
“The 3rd Knight Order has returned from Ghosh forest, but a Salamander appeared. Many were injured and it seems there aren’t enough potions.”
I understand the situation from asking a researcher near the Director.
This week the 3rd Knight Order subjugated demons in the Ghosh forest, located west of the capital. But they apparently suffered enormous damage there.
The easy-going Director, who was always pleasantly smiling, is giving instructions with a dreadful face. Instantly the researchers noisily started collecting potions from desk drawers and shelves and gathering it onto the desk near the entrance of the laboratory.
Together with Jude, I also take potions out of the cabinet and carry it to the desk.
The soldier is surprise at the amount of potions gathered on the desk and says, “This much!?”
Yes, because they were recently amassed.
After we finish taking out all the potions from the cabinet, I remembered I had placed some advanced HP potions in my room so I go to retrieve it.
When I return from my room, everyone had finished gathering the potions in the laboratory and were loading it onto the wagon parked outside of the door.
Director: “Some of you come with me.”
As instructed by the Director, the researchers near the entrance board the wagon.
The wagon begins moving when I got on it.
“Hey, does something like a dragon appear in the Ghost forest?”
Jude: “Dragon? No, they don’t.”
“Isn’t a Salamander a firedrake?”
Jude: “Hm? Salamanders are just lizards that breathes fire.”
I received an unexpected reply when I asked Jude, who came with, about the Salamander.
Salamanders weren’t dragons……
Although I had imaged it to be a firedrake……
“It’s able to cause this much damage despite only being a lizard……”
Jude: “Even though it’s a lizard, it’s big and agile. Nonetheless, it’s not of the dragon species, it’s a high ranking demon.”
“I see.”
The Salamander’s image in my head has now become a 10 metre long Komodo dragon.
It breathes fire while moving at high speeds. The moment it confronts me, I’m confident that I won’t be able to move and give up on life.
While I was thinking about how hard it must have been for the Knight Order to face such a high ranking demon, the wagon stops at a corner of the royal palace.
As soon as I enter the building, the inside is like a battlefield.
“This is terrible……”
“……”
Many injured people were sleeping in the room that was normally used as a hall, and people who looked like doctors and nurses are running around in the spaces between them.
In the room, the groans of the wounded and burnt victims of the Salamander’s fire, overflow, and the voices of the doctors screaming, “Are the potions here yet?” resound throughout the room.
My carefree mind from a while ago, chills. I stand frozen on the spot, dumbfounded. The Director, who stood up first, clapped his hands.
Director: “Distribute the potions that we brought! You two are over there, Jude and Sei, please take care of the other side.”
““““Yes!””””
I take several of the potions and distribute it to the doctors here and there.
The doctors are mostly standing near those who are seriously injured and give the potion to the patients as soon as they are received.
Due to the shortage of HP potions, low grade HP potions were also given to the severely injured, even though they would normally require an intermediate potion for complete recovery.
The doctors probably feel that it was better to give them something instead of giving up.
Especially for patients who were on the border of life and death.
Because by giving them the potion, they might survive.
“This is!”
The doctor who gave a patient the potion, which was handed to him by the researcher, was surprised.
After giving the potion to the patient who was breathing heavily, his skin which had been greatly torn by the demon’s claw, was completely healed. The patient, who had his eyes closed, opens them when he feels the pain suddenly disappear. He timidly confirms his body.
All his wounds had disappeared, even the small scratches that he had everywhere and his pale complexion is also improving.
“It was a low grade potion, right?”
The doctor, with the dubiousness look on his face, holds up the empty vial in his hand but since he’d given everything to the patient, it was difficult to determine the rank of the potion.
The doctor was surely given a low grade HP potion, but it wasn’t just any low grade HP potion.
It was the 50% increase potion that I made, in other words the effectiveness of it was the same as an intermediate potion.
I leave before the doctor could ask me anything and distributed the point one after another.
I can hear the bewildered voices of doctors and nurses from here and there, but I ignore it.
For now distributing potions had priority.
“Are there any advanced HP potions?”
I hear someone’s voice at the back of the hall.
There are many doctors and knights gathering at the place where the voice came from.
Is that where the voice came from?
Because I have an intermediate HP potion on hand, I head over there and as I approach, I could hear people discussing something.
“This could be difficult even with an advanced potion. Is there anyone who could use recovery magic?”
“Even if they could use recovery magic, if it’s not level 4 or over…”
“What about Saint-sama? That person can use level 4 recovery magic, right?”
“His Highness, Kyle did not want to show such a brutal scene like this to Saint-sama……”
“What!”
Kyle is certainly the first Prince’s name, that red-head that looked like he’ll go bald in the future.
It is certainly difficult to see seriously wounded parts of patients without censorship.
Even I, who prides herself in having some tolerance towards splatter, give out potions while looking as little as possible.
That easy-going Aira-chan will faint the moment she sees something like this.
The knight who is listening to the civil official-like person’s explanation, is he the patient’s friend?
Since I couldn’t see the patient due to the crowd of people, I couldn’t judge his condition. But it seems that the injury was so serious that it was difficult to heal even with an advanced HP potion.
When I look around the crowd, I see the Director and walk over to him. He calls out to me when he notices me approaching.
Director: “Sei! Are there any advanced HP potions left?”
“Ah, then, 「Captain!」.”
When I turn towards the voice, the doctors and nurses quickly begin to move.
The patient’s condition seems to have taken a sudden turn for the worse.
I also push my way through the crowd of people and go to the patient’s side.
Looking closely the right upper half of the patient’s body was burnt and he had various wounds all over his body. It’s a miracle that he’s alive.
His rough breathing gradually becomes quiet.
“Hey, move aside!”
I push the doctor away and look at the patient, it looks like he’ll die soon.
I take out the advanced HP potion from my apron pocket in a hurry, open the lid and bring it to his mouth.
When I say, “Please drink!” in a loud voice, he was somehow able to drink the potion, little by little.
The surrounding people swallow their saliva as they attentively watch him slowly drink the potion.
After a period of time passes I look at the patient, who had finished drinking all the potion. His charred skin had peeled and beautiful skin appears from underneath it.
His rough breathing settles down but it didn’t stop, it is the calm breathing of a sleeping person.
When I ascertain it with my own eyes, I breathe out at a job well done. The surrounding people shout out in joy, “Oooouuuuuuuuuuuu!”
